🔗 Share this article

Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicles have hit the Russian oil refinery in the city of Ufa, situated around 1,400 km from the Ukrainian border, triggering blasts and a fire, according to a insider in the Ukrainian SBU.

This represents the 3rd SBU long-range attack in Bashkortostan in the recent weeks. These operations demonstrate that there are no safe places in the far hinterland of the Russian state.

Zelenskyy Appeals to Trump to Broker Ceasefire in the Conflict

Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Donald Trump to facilitate a truce in Ukraine over a telephone conversation on the weekend.

"Provided that a hostilities can be halted in one region, then certainly other wars can be ended as well, encompassing the Russian aggression," the President remarked, hailing Trump's "outstanding" Gaza peace initiative and calling for the American leader to compel the Moscow into negotiations.

Moscow's Attacks Kill Casualties in Ukraine

Strikes by Russia on Ukrainian territory claimed the lives of several civilians on Saturday and cut power to sections of Ukraine's southern Odesa area, as stated by Ukrainian officials.

Two civilians died inside a religious building in the town when it was hit, according to regional officials.

In Russia's border region of Belgorod, a truck driver was killed by a drone assault, according to local officials.

Electricity Recovery Efforts in the Capital

Efforts carried on on the weekend to restore power in the Ukrainian capital, after assaults.

Electricity had been returned to more than 800,000 residents by the weekend and the biggest power firm stated the main operations to restore power was concluded though certain disruptions persisted.

Anti-Aircraft Efforts and UAV Jamming

Ukraine's anti-aircraft systems intercepted or jammed 54 of 78 enemy drones sent against the country during the night, the aerial defense command said on Saturday.

Russia's military authorities claimed it shot down 42 enemy Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.

Cuba Refutes Claims of Sending Soldiers to the War

Havana on the weekend rejected US assertions it has provided soldiers to fight in the hostilities, while stating Cuban authorities "do not have accurate details about individuals" involved "independently" or "within the troops of both sides".

The foreign ministry in the capital said twenty-six Cubans had been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five up to fourteen years for mercenary involvement since the autumn of 2023 when information spread of individuals being deployed to the battlefield in the conflict.

I Want to Live Project Reveals Details on Cuban National Enlistment

The program, a Ukrainian government program that encourages adversaries to give up, said in spring: "Our information indicates the personal data of one thousand and twenty-eight Cuban nationals who enlisted with the Russian armed forces in 2023-2024."

The government in Havana stated of those who might be engaged: "Undeniably that not a single one have the encouragement, allegiance, or approval of the Cuban state for their involvement."

Kin of Cubans who traveled to Russia in 2023 reported to Agence France-Presse at the time that their relatives had been misled into enlisting through advertisements on online platforms.